The Power of Mystery

The Power of Mystery

Reader Comments (31)

  1. That was a mysterious read and interesting advice.
    If to add some more subtle technique then it could be like a fortune tellers’ guide 🙂 Make people think of what they want to think and just follow their imagination when you tell them your mysterious story.

  2. The biggest drawback I see to this approach is that you must be damn good to make an impact. Mysterious people need to have their story, or their copy, down pat, because the more you hide, the more you need to make an impact when you show your self.

    Other than that, great lesson here. Thanks 😉

    Ryan

  3. I love a good mystery, and this is fine up to a point – as long as you’re not being enigmatic just to appear smart, or because you’ve nothing much to say. You also need to know your audience and have good judgement as to when it’s appropriate – at times, clarity is crucial. If you’re so obtuse that people end up feeling you’ve misled them and wasted their time, this strategy could be counter-productive.

    And personally, sorry if I seem like a Philistine, but I think the jury’s still out on the urinal. 😉

  4. Mystery and Discovery are opposite sides of the same coin. I believe both apply to all good writing.

    However, how you apply the two is an art most of us are still trying to master.

    Thanks for the “mysterious” article, it in it we can “discover” new thoughts about writing.

    Adventure Insider

    Explore the Adventurous Life

  5. “Each question you answer should lead to another question.”

    This was a great tip. Very nice article about a very difficult subject: mystery around someone definitely isn’t an accident!

    I think that one of the best ways to generate mystery is to have a lot of things on the table and give some hints about them. Not too much, but just enough for people to start asking questions.

    Smart people on movie and game business do it pretty well.

  6. Silence is golden and I feel like mystery plays a big part in it. As soon as someone says “don’t look in that” or “you can’t go in that room” I immediately want to know everything about it. Mystery is a power tool when used correctly.

  7. “It was the experience of mystery – even if mixed with fear – that engendered religion.”

    It’s from my big box of quotes! Aren’t you dying to know whose name is on the mystery envelope of quotes I pulled from my big box of quotes?

    :-]
    Beat

      • Google is right! 🙂 Not an easy one to guess, I guess, now curious about what your other guesses were…

        This episode only goes to show we are now in a brand–new world. We used to be able to remember AND to forget, but now with the Internet forget is a thing of the past.

        Forget it 🙂 just to say I thought Albert’s quote fitted in nice with the quotes of your post, glad you like it, wishing you a wonderful day.

  8. Sometimes your timing is uncanny it seems…I’ve been thinking about this topic for a few weeks ever since Robert Bruce posted a similar comment (in his one sentence style as always.)

    Familiarity does breed contempt, for sure…but some other commentators here are making good points about not swinging too far to the other side and being overly mysterious for the sake of it, which probably would backfire with most people.

    I think Jesus of Nazareth set a great example for us here. There were times when he spoke from his heart in a direct and honest way. At other times he spoke using stories (parables) and rarely took the time to explain them afterwards. He left the figuring out up to the listener.

    There were even times when he made humorous comments….

    But know this…He also would go completely mute and not say a word a lot, when most of us would be running off at the mouth in the same situation.

    Yep, Jesus makes a great social media role model and in my opinion serves as a great example to follow here.

    Thanks for taking on this topic, Demian.

  9. Demian- Always one of the most difficult things to teach young trial lawyers. Keeping your jury interested throughout the entire trial is challenging. Using this approach and bringing it all together during closing argument can be extremely powerful if done correctly. But back to social- absolutely important. Excellent post!

  10. Awesome awesome post here Demian!

    I think that mystery is one of the most powerful tools of story telling – it allows the reader to shape the story and imagine and create a narrative. It makes the story come alive because mystery means that the reader HAS to exercise his/her imagination to come to the conclusion, making them far more involved in the process and story.

  11. Hi Demian!

    I’m not sure if I love the article, too mysterious perhaps?

    I will keep the phrase “Each question you answer should lead to another question.”

    But saying one thing and doing another? Absolutely hate it, I do have a reason.
    See you next time,
    Julieta

  12. So true. Working in the music industry, I can tell you the most successful people leave a little something to the imagination. They make you wonder what they’re writing about, rather than being so clear you have no doubt, because they know you’ll fill in the blanks with something better than they could create themselves.

  13. Mmm, what an interesting post. I tend to be a big over-sharer. Being a writer, I am constantly writing and editing lines in my head that I can’t wait to share. But I’m going to try and master the art of mystery and leaving people wanting more…
    Thank you for an excellent blog.
    Sally

  14. Wonderful article. To me, social media is a never-ending cocktail party. Folks come and go, drop into one conversation, eavesdrop on others. Every now and then, I have to leave for some fresh air and to recover from the perpetual hangover. But I always come back.

  15. “With the information you provide your audience should still be able to guess and distill your essence.”

    Good point in there Demian!

    Giving smart ways to improve your blog or consider this giving thrill to your audience.
    Well, if one is not good in doing such mystery then they should practice first. Being safe is always boring! So I encourage bloggers to try something new.

    Thank you for sharing this post!
    I found and “kingged” this on the Internet marketing social site Kingged.com

  16. As a mystery writer, I agree with your premise. Ever since my childhood days with a Hardy Boy’s mystery, I learned the power of the unknown outcome. What’s going to happen? That simple question kept me going chapter after chapter. It was almost impossible to put the book down, since each chapter ended with another hook. Good copy is the same way…

    I would wager a guess towards the orange book, but I don’t know much about that color. My new book is all about red… blood red… and is entitled Blood Red P——

  17. Hello Mr. Farnworth,

    LOOOL! What a nice post! “Mystery is more important than knowledge”?
    On the one hand, a cave is 100 times more mysterious than your room. However, would you like to live in a cave for the rest of your life just because it is more mysterious? 🙂

    On the other hand, I understood what you want to communicate. Smart post. Very smart.

    I like the tip to create, discretely, an aura of mystery. It will give you, in time, an aura of power. And you also provided some practical advice:

    “Delete all your tweets”

    LOL!!! What a good idea! I will do that. You bet.

    Conclusion

    You have succeeding in creating an aura of mystery with a smart post that shows real literary talent. Superb example of practicing what you preach.

    Have a wonderful and mysterious day

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